After lighting the world on fire with three wins in his first three NFL starts, Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez fell back down to earth in his next three games before finally crashing with a thud last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. With his team now 3-3, head coach Rex Ryan is ready to make some changes.
Ryan is not yet considering benching Sanchez in favor of Kellen Clemens, but Ryan does think that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer ought to simplify the offense for the first-year signal-caller. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ handling of then-rookie Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 may serve as a blueprint for the remainder of Sanchez’s season.
“He’s got an unbelievable amount of talent, but we’ve got to be smart with him,” Ryan said of Sanchez to NBC Sports. “I remember Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh was smart with what they did and they won a ton of games.”
Most likely, the Jets will at least temporarily reduce Sanchez’s pass attempts after he coughed up five interceptions and finished with a quarterback rating of 8.3 in the 16-13 overtime loss to the Bills. The 22-year-old is averaging 27.2 throws per game and 6.3 yards per throw, ranking 20th in the league in the latter category.
Such a plan would entail increased touches for running backs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, who have been very efficient through the first six weeks of the season. The veteran Jones and the versatile Washington have combined to average 4.9 yards per carry, and the Jets’ rushing attack has amassed nearly 100 more yards than any other ground game in the NFL.
Ryan witnessed a similar strategy while serving as Baltimore's defensive coordinator last year, where the Ravens employed a run-heavy offense under Cam Cameron to ease rookie Joe Flacco into his role as the quarterback of the future. The Ravens ran the ball 592 times last season — 79 more than the next-highest rushing team — and picked up 4.0 yards per handoff. That set up play-action passes for Flacco, who was limited to short routes on the outside of the field for the majority of his rookie year.
The strategy worked for the Ravens, in part because they were able to dominate time of possession and help their defense stay fresh. Considering the numerous injuries the Jets have suffered on defense, Ryan may be inclined to run the ball more to keep the clock running and their offense on the field.
The Jets’ season is now at a crossroads, following three straight losses that have dropped them into third place in the AFC East. A trip to Oakland and a home matchup with Miami loom prior to their Week 9 bye, and the Jets must snap their skid and start another winning streak to get back into the playoff picture before it’s too late.
